Free and appropriate
Free and appropriate…. Do these words describe your child’s current education?
Free means that the education is provided at no extra expense to the parents. It does not exclude you from paying fees that all students are required to pay. This education should also be provided by the public schools.
How do you know your child is receiving an appropriate education? Start by looking at their most recent evaluation and IEP. Did the evaluation provide diagnostic information that may be use to determine goals? Is that information included in your child’s IEP? If you can answer yes to both of those, then it’s time to start looking at the goals and progress reports.
The key word when thinking about an IEP is “Individualized.” Your IEP and goals should reflect what your child needs, not what every child in the building gets. If it doesn’t then it’s time to speak up.
